three Britons detained by the Taliban, according to an NGO

Published on : 02/04/2023 – 07:10

Three Britons are being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, a British NGO, The Presidium Network, announced on Saturday April 1, adding that it was “working closely” with two of the families.

“We are working to establish consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting the families,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

Scott Richards, a member of The Presidium Network, told Sky News: “To our knowledge we believe they are in good health and well cared for.”

“We have no reason to believe that they were subjected to any ill-treatment such as torture and we are told that they are doing as well as can be expected under such circumstances,” he said. He specifies.

There has been “no meaningful contact” between authorities and the two men Presidium is assisting, Scott Richards added.

Two of the men have been held by the Taliban since January. It is not known how long the third man has been detained.

“A misunderstanding”

They would be Kevin Cornwell, 53, a doctor for a charity organization, an unnamed hotel manager for aid workers and Miles Routledge, a YouTube celebrity, according to media reports.

On Twitter, The Presidium Network urged the Taliban to “be mindful of what we believe to be a misunderstanding and release these men”.

Last year the Taliban released recognized TV journalist Peter Jouvenal and four other British nationals who they had held for six months. The cameraman was among “a number” of Britons detained by radical Islamists, London said in February.

The British Foreign Office claimed that the five people “had no role to play in British government activities in Afghanistan and had traveled to that country despite British government travel advice”. “It was a mistake,” he added.

At the time, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused the British of “carrying out activities contrary to the laws of the land and the traditions of the Afghan people”.

“After several meetings between the EIA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and Great Britain, these people were released… and returned to their country of origin,” he said. “They promised to respect the laws of Afghanistan, its traditions and the culture of its people and not to violate them again.”

The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and have since drawn international outrage over their policies, particularly towards women and girls.

With AFP